Lunch: Warm Barley and Caramelized Mushroom Salad

Recipe by Kay Chun Browned mushrooms, fresh sage and lemon juice dress up this version of a classic mushroom-barley salad from F&W's Kay Chun.

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Barley, Lemon

Health and fertility benefits of Warm Barley and Caramelized Mushroom Salad

Barley is about the best grain a woman with PCOS can eat. It is low in calories and has the lowest GI of all grains. Low-GI grains such as barley take much longer to digest and create a slow, steady rise in blood glucose and insulin levels. As mentioned before on Fertility Chef, low-GI foods reduce cravings. If possible, try and find hulled barley as it is the most nutrient dense of all types of barley. Lemons can help to prevent oxidative damage to the body, which women with PCOS are often susceptible to.

Ingredients

2 cups pearled barley (5 cups cooked)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds mixed mushrooms, stemmed and cut into bite-size pieces
2 teaspoons chopped sage
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
Pepper

Instructions

In a medium saucepan of boiling water, cook the barley until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add one-third of the mushrooms and cook over high heat, stirring, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the large bowl. Repeat in 2 more batches with 4 tablespoons of the oil and the remaining mushrooms. Add the sage, lemon juice and the remaining 1/4 cup of oil to the bowl; season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.

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